The durability of electronic devices in environmental conditions is of major interest in industrial and consumer electronics. In electronic applications, headphones are frequently exposed to harsh environments (e.g., sweat, water, steam, even corrosive elements, etc. and combinations thereof) which can cause failure of electronic components and circuits over time.
People sometimes exercise while listening to music through headphones. Sweat and germs brought about by the exercise can build up over time on the headphones, causing one or more surfaces of the headphones to become unsanitary, faded, etc. Cleaning headphones can be damaging to the electronic components and thus a reliable way of keeping headphones free of sweat and germs can be difficult.